Just as Ryusei Shido was about to snatch the ball, a figure suddenly cut in front of him—closer to the ball than anyone else.
"Ryūma?"
Sure enough, it was Ryūma Banjō. Even after passing earlier, his Slow-Motion World had remained active.
When Ryusei Shido burst forward toward Yo Hiori, Ryūma launched himself ahead with even greater speed.
Pinned by Ryūma's back, Shido tried to pull away and circle around to block him from the front—but Ryūma struck first, sending the ball right back to Yo Hiori.
At the same instant, Ryūma spun sharply to the right and slipped past Shido completely.
Meanwhile, Kudo Tōya closed in from Shido's left rear, his eyes locked unwaveringly on Ryūma.
(Useless, Ryūma Banjō—your every move is laid bare before these God's Eyes!)
(You're planning to shoot from there, huh? Then the interception line is right—here!)
At the same time, relying on his innate goal-scoring intuition, Ryusei Shido dashed straight onto Ryūma's shot path.
But both of their movements had already been exposed in the opening instant—Slow-Motion World revealed everything.
Ryūma ignored them completely, excitement flashing in his mind.
(Unbelievable… Hiori hasn't even swung his foot yet, and Shido's already charging into my shot path on instinct alone!)
(Tch. Not afraid of guessing wrong, are you?)
(I've got a solid grasp of your ability now, Tōya—you predict others' next moves from their initial actions.)
(A frightening power, no doubt… but using it narrows your vision too much.)
(Just now, and even now—if you hadn't activated God's Eye, you never would've let me pass so freely.)
(Predicting only my future isn't enough, Tōya. Soccer isn't a one-on-one game!)
(Alright, Hiori—let's see what you've got now!)
Receiving the ball, Yo Hiori's eyes gleamed. Even as Kyohei Shiguma charged in from the side to intercept, Hiori didn't look his way—his gaze stayed fixed on Ryūma's position.
(Steady now… calm down, heart! Ryūma needs me right now!)
(I've got to send it exactly there! Shido might reach it too—but I believe in Ryūma. The current him won't lose to anyone!)
With that conviction, Hiori struck a perfect curving pass toward Team B's left backfield.
Ryūma watched as Ryusei Shido and Kudo Tōya sprinted for the ball, a full step ahead of him. But instead of panicking, he smirked.
"You really think you can outrun me? Don't be so naïve!"
As he spoke, Ryūma deactivated Slow-Motion World and instantly switched to Limit-Breaking State.
"Move!!"
In an instant, Ryūma exploded forward with overwhelming force, ramming straight through both Shido and Kudo, knocking them aside like walls.
"That body…? Is he even human?"
Kudo ignored Shido's astonishment, his eyes glued to the figure already leaping high into the air.
(Damn it! Even if I can constantly foresee his future, those eyes of his can read mine just as clearly!)
(It's a deadlock… unless I can see further ahead, I'll never beat him!)
(Because he's got talent and ability that no amount of effort can surpass!)
(That physique… that speed… he's unstoppable!)
[BOOM!!]
As Kudo's thoughts raged, Ryūma—soaring through the air—swung his leg horizontally, unleashing a Blitz Shot straight into Team B's net!
GOAL!! Team A 1 : 0 Team B!
Though Kudo Tōya managed to leap into the shooting lane at the last second, the sheer power of the strike was overwhelming.
With such a rushed jump, the chance of blocking it was practically zero.
After scoring, Ryūma sprinted over to Hiori, beaming as they clapped hands.
"Nice one, Ryūma!"
"Basic play—no big deal!"
"Hey, Rin! Did you even follow that high-level match just now?"
"Ahh, no chance, man. My eyes… they couldn't keep up…"
Before Ryūma could brag any further, Yoichi Isagi asked, puzzled.
"Ryūma, honestly—there were moments in that duel I couldn't even process. How did you do that?"
"And you're clearly stronger than before. You said something about 'learning how to use your eyes'? What does that mean?"
"Your anticipation wasn't that sharp before—how'd it suddenly become so precise?"
"When you broke past Kudo and the others just now, if I wasn't mistaken, you predicted all their movements and breezed through in one sequence!"
"Ryūma… you didn't awaken Rin's kind of ability, did you?"
"And what's up with that Kudo guy? His ability felt a lot like Rin's too!"
"No, wait—your three abilities are similar… but not exactly the same."
"Please, Ryūma. I know I'm being pushy, but I need to understand. This means a lot to me!"
(Hah, the Puzzle God's at it again—collecting more pieces.)
Hearing Isagi's barrage of questions, Ryūma sighed inwardly before grinning.
"Come on, Yoichi. How long have we known each other? Don't be so formal."
"Let's put it like this: Rin, Kudo, and I all perceive the game's future—but we each do it differently."
"I won't go into detail—you wouldn't get it yet, and it might even steer you off your path."
"You'll figure it out someday."
"Simply put, Rin and Tōya both rely on Anticipation—but through different means."
"As for me… I see."
Watching Isagi fall silent, deep in thought, Ryūma chuckled to himself.
(Really? Just that, and he's already connecting the dots?)
(Well, he is the Puzzle God, after all.)
...
On the other side, Kudo Tōya walked toward the center circle, expression blank. Beside him, Ryusei Shido laughed cheerfully.
"They scored on us, huh? Pretty strong guys. Want me to avenge you, little Tōya-chan?"
"Shut up!! All you need to do is stay beside me and catch my passes. Don't do anything extra!"
"Alright, alright—whatever you say~"
"I'll handle Ryūma. You focus on Rin Itoshi."
Kudo turned to the others and barked orders.
"You three—no, you two! One of you mark Yoichi Isagi, the other shadow Yo Hiori. Don't hesitate to foul if you have to."
"Remember—don't let them pass freely, and don't let him move off the ball!"
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser